University News

November 5, 2013

*NOTE: For individuals ages 18-44, it is free to register. Ages 45+ can still register, but there is a $100 fee. According to bethematch.org: This is based on medical research that shows younger donors are best for patients and provide the greatest chance for transplant success. Because of this, doctors request donors in the 18 to 44 age group over 90% of the time. If you are between the ages of 45 and 60 and want to join the bone marrow registry, you will be asked to make a $100 payment to cover the cost to join.

In addition, individuals can text MATCH WIU to 50555 for a $10 donation for WIU's Be The Match on Campus to help fund the bone marrow drive.

* $10.00 donation to Be The Match Foundation. Charges will appear on the user's wireless bill or wil be deducted from the prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. Must be 18 years of age or have parental permission to participate. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to 50555 to STOP. Text HELP to 50555 for HELP. Full terms and privacy: www.mGive.org/T and https://mgive.org/privacy.aspx

---

MACOMB, IL -- Are you the cure? Find out by participating in Western Illinois University's Be the Match on Campus chapter's inaugural bone marrow donor registry drive, to be held Thursday and Friday, Nov. 7-8 on the Macomb campus.

The drive will be held from noon-6 p.m. Nov. 7-8 in the WIU Donald S. Spencer Student Recreation Center. To become a part of the national bone marrow registry, an individual must register and then complete a simple test in which the inside of the mouth is swabbed and the DNA sample is entered into a registry. The drive is open to all campus and surrounding community members.

Be The Match Registry/Be the Match on Campus is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating an opportunity for all patients to receive the marrow transplant they need, when they need it. It is the largest and most diverse donor registry in the world.

According to Grant Severs and Ashley Whiteside, co-founders of WIU's Be the Match chapter, a patient's likelihood of finding a matching donor on the Be The Match Registry is estimated to range from 66-93 percent.

"Donor registries can only continue to grow if people sign up to become a member of the registry," Whiteside said. "Because of donors, more patients will be able to receive a life-saving transplant. It only takes a minute to sign up and to have a swab completed."

Individuals interested in joining WIU's chapter or volunteering should contact Whiteside or Severs at A-Whiteside@wiu.edu or GS-Severs@wiu.edu.